Photo by Amanda Westcott/Showtime
You speak to a lot of boxing fans and they say, “Why is Paulie Malinaggi fighting again?” Some say, “Why not?”
Yes, Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (37-7, 7 KOs) is returning after his December 2015 victory over Antonio Moscatiello. Although many outsiders have their opinions about when an athlete should stop competing, can anyone but the fighter himself know when it’s time to really hang them up?
The competitive fire burns so deep within Malignaggi he has to get back into the ring to satisfy his urge to compete.
Malignaggi stays active as a very successful boxer, commentator for Showtime, and has an apparel company called Future Legend. Malignaggi keeps himself within the public eye, giving the fans what they want, in the ring and out of it.
The former two-division world champion steps back into the ring against Gabriel “Tito” Bracero (24-2, 5 KOs) on July 30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on the undercard of the Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton fight.
Both fighters are from Brooklyn and are good friends. There will be a little bit of ring rust between the fighters as Malignaggi hasn’t fought in 2016 and Bracero’s last fight was in October, which lasted only one round versus Danny O’Connor.
Talking to Malignaggi in between training for his upcoming fight, he expressed how he feels fighting at home.
“It’s always exciting fighting in Brooklyn, the feeling never gets old. I hope to put on a great performance that the fans can remember me by.”
Make no mistake, this is an undercard fight, but it will be a fight both men will want to win in their own back yard for bragging rights and to show there fans a great boxing match. The battle for Brooklyn is upon us.
